Devices and systems for monitoring the presence and general well-being of children and infants when out of plain view are known in the art. Such devices, typically known as "baby monitors", typically comprise either video cameras and/or audio microphones that are placed in close proximity with the child which transmits a signal to a remote video monitor and/or amplifier/speaker to thus enable the supervising adult to remotely monitor the child/infant. In this regard such systems are designed to provide the supervising adult with a visual and/or auditory signal to the extent the child is uncomfortable or in distress. With respect to most prior art auditory systems, such systems are designed to merely reproduce those sounds emanating from the child/infant, such as crying, coughing and/or choking, which serve as the basis to warn the supervising adult that attention is needed.
Although generally effective in monitoring the condition of a child/infant from a remote location, most prior art systems currently in use suffer from numerous drawbacks. With respect to video monitoring systems, it is known that the cameras utilized to generate the image of the monitored child are typically mounted in fixed position and can only monitor a limited area, such as a crib, for example. As such, to the extent the child strays from such limited field of vision or is covered in bedding, such as blankets, no monitoring capabilities are possible. Likewise, it is known that such video systems are expensive and rather complex, which consequently has limited their widespread use in the home.
Similarly, acoustic monitoring systems suffer from the drawbacks of not providing consistent, uniform and dependable monitoring of a child. In this regard, such systems are based upon the child producing an audible signal, such as a scream or a cough, when such child is in distress or discomfort. However, such systems fail to address a number of situations where a supervising adult must necessarily be warned about conditions beyond those sounds generated in the child's environment. For example, such audio monitors fail to provide any indication should the child quietly leave his or her bed or simply stop breathing, which occurs with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) where a healthy infant dies suddenly during sleep, for no apparent reason.
In addition to failing to provide an adequate degree of monitoring activity, prior art child/infant monitoring systems further have the drawback of repeatedly generating false alarm signals. The most prevalent of such prior art systems are commonly referred to as apnea monitors, which monitor the breathing of an infant in order to detect if apnea occurs (i.e., the cessation of voluntary breathing). In this regard, to the extent the child deviates from rigorous respiratory and metabolic parameters, the apnea monitor generates an alarm signal to alert the supervising adult of the presumably fatal condition. Due to the rigorous parameters within such apnea monitors operate, and given the tendency of such devices to generate alarm signals in the interest of caution, there is thus generated repeated false alarm signals which, in view of the high level of anxiety experienced by parents of children, and particular parents of children who have been determined to be at high risk for SIDS, has caused much anguish in the parents so as to reduce their true efficacy.
In an attempt to reduce the occurrence of false alarms and provide a more dependable monitoring system, several alternative products have been developed for use in the home. The most prevalent of these products include active monitoring devices where a sensor is physically in contact with the child/infant that directly monitors one or more physiological functions, such as breathing, heart rate, etc. Such systems, however, have fallen out of favor due to the requirement to directly attach the sensor(s) to the child/infant insofar as the same have been shown to be uncomfortable and potentially dangerous to the child.
Accordingly, there is a strong need in the art for a child/infant monitoring device which can detect the physiological presence of a living baby that does not require any contact with the child, yet can reliably function under all conditions that would normally be associated with the baby's environment (i.e., room). Furthermore, there is a need in the art for a child/infant monitoring device that can be utilized either alone or in combination with existing monitoring devices that is particularly effective in monitoring passive breathing activity, which can occur when the child/infant is still or asleep, and can further monitor such activity when the child/infant is covered in one or more layers of material, such as bedding, blankets, and the like. There is likewise a need in the art for a child/infant monitoring system that can be utilized to monitor the presence and well-being of a child/infant that utilizes existing technology, provides superior monitoring capability with reduced occurrences of false alarms, is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to deploy and may be readily fabricated from existing, commercially available components.